Articles – Veteran-to-Farmer Documentary GROUND OPERATIONShttp://groundoperations.net
Documentary Film GROUND OPERATIONS Follows Entrepreneurial Veterans in the Farmer-Veteran MovementSun, 19 Mar 2017 20:08:21 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.10Ground Operations shows how veterans, farms need one another in film screening – KyForward.comhttp://groundoperations.net/ground-operations-shows-veterans-farms-need-one-another-film-screening-kyforward-com/
Wed, 15 Oct 2014 17:17:04 +0000http://www.groundoperations.net/?p=2507A free screening of a film about simultaneously securing the future of America’s food supply and the future of returning veterans comes to Lexington on Oct. 24. As with so many new ideas, the idea of getting returning veterans to help themselves and others through farming came to Sgt. Adam Burke of Jacksonville, Florida, at […]

A free screening of a film about simultaneously securing the future of America’s food supply and the future of returning veterans comes to Lexington on Oct. 24.

As with so many new ideas, the idea of getting returning veterans to help themselves and others through farming came to Sgt. Adam Burke of Jacksonville, Florida, at a time of personal need. He lay bleeding on the Iraqi battlefield, and what he remembers desperately needing from God at the time was to see his family again and to live a life worthy of divine intervention.

Two years later, he took a childhood of blueberry farming to the next level and started the Veterans Farm. The land provides a place of emotional solace and job training for returning vets. “Teach these guys how to farm, they can have sustainable lives with sustainable agriculture,” Burke says. Burke and the veterans grow blueberries on the Florida farm.

A new film tells Burke’s story and the stories of others who are returning to the land once home from a foreign battlefield. Ground Operations: Battlefields to Farmfieldsshows the struggle of former servicemen and women who experienced unemployment, PTSD, addiction and attempted suicide before finding restoration for themselves and their communities in sustainable farming and ranching.

The 40-minute documentary produced and directed by Dulanie Ellis will be shown at 7 p.m. in Lexington on Oct. 24 at the Oleika Shrine Temple at 326 Southland Dr. The screening and accompanying event is free, but donations to Growing Warriors will be accepted. Growing Warriors is a local farmer-veteran organization and part of a national Ground Operations campaign.

There is a growing network, says Ellis, of combat veterans transitioning into sustainable farming and food production. Organizers say half of the farmers in America are at retirement age and that the USDA is calling for one million new farmers and ranchers in the next 10 years.

Ground Operations makes the point that the work is perfect for returning service personnel “who need a place to de-escalate from the high-velocity impact of combat” and “who need a new mission.” The documentary “follows an ensemble of young men and women who tell us why they joined the military, how the war changed them, how they’ve struggled to return home and ultimately, how they found sustainable farming and ranching to be the answer to a dream,” according to a press release.

There will be a light supper served at the Oct. 24 showing and a panel discussion about veterans strengthening America’s food security with Ellis, Mike Lewis from Growing Warriors and others. The event will coincide with the American Farmland Trust conference to be held in Lexington.

]]>Turning Swords to Ploughshares is a Balm for Veterans – Gristhttp://groundoperations.net/turning-swords-ploughshares-balm-veterans/
Fri, 08 Aug 2014 14:51:20 +0000http://www.groundoperations.net/?p=2293Let Us Beat Swords Into Plowshares statue at U.N. Headquarters in NYC. At the Farm to Table conference, I got to see the new documentary, Ground Operations: Battlefield to Farmfield, and there was one part that really got to me. A veteran farmer described getting a call from a fellow soldier who was having a […]

]]>Let Us Beat Swords Into Plowshares statue at U.N. Headquarters in NYC.

At the Farm to Table conference, I got to see the new documentary, Ground Operations: Battlefield to Farmfield, and there was one part that really got to me. A veteran farmer described getting a call from a fellow soldier who was having a panic attack. He told him to meet him at the farm, and they spent the next two hours sitting under a tree, until that panic was replaced by a feeling of peace.

When it comes to veterans, I’m used to hearing bad news about missing safety nets, and grim statistics, like the one about 22 veterans committing suicide every day. So it’s nice to see a potential fix.

Programs to get veterans involved in agriculture have been underway for some time (we’ve written about this before). The documentary’s director, Dulanie Ellis, suggests that this approach might be a solution not just for soldiers dealing with the rough transition back to civilian life, but also for the shortage of farmers:

After the screening, one of the veteran farmers in the film, Matthew Raiford, stood up to take questions. As a farmer, he said, he can make good use of his post-war insomnia. It feels good, he said, to be able to throw himself into his work, to be outside, away from crowds, and to see the physical results of his labor. “You can almost channel your PTSD,” he said.

For more information on the film, and programs to connect veterans to farms, check out Ground Operations.

Original Article from Grist.com

8/6/14

Nathanael Johnson (@savortooth on Twitter) is Grist’s food writer and the author of All Natural: A Skeptic’s Quest to Discover If the Natural Approach to Diet, Childbirth, Healing, and the Environment Really Keeps Us Healthier and Happier.

]]>A Veteran’s Journey from Battlefield to Farmfield – Edible Madisonhttp://groundoperations.net/veterans-journey-battlefield-farmfield-edible-madison/
Wed, 16 Jul 2014 04:38:41 +0000http://www.groundoperations.net/?p=2152The military and farming have a lot in common. They both demand everything you’ve got … and then some. The divide between the vision and the reality can be wide. You have to have commitment and resourcefulness beyond measure. Neither have been an easy path for Steve Acheson, Army veteran and founder of Peacefully Organic […]

]]>The military and farming have a lot in common. They both demand everything you’ve got … and then some. The divide between the vision and the reality can be wide. You have to have commitment and resourcefulness beyond measure. Neither have been an easy path for Steve Acheson, Army veteran and founder of Peacefully Organic Produce, a 45-member CSA just outside of Madison.

Steve was a junior in high school when 9/11 happened. By 18, he was in the Army, where he scored the highest in his class. Ultimately, he served as personal security for a colonel and drove a Humvee on the heaviest improvised explosive device (I.E.D.) roads in Iraq, bagging more than 400 missions in 11 months. He dodged innumerable I.E.D.s and credits his survival to good equipment, strategy and extreme luck — until an accident with a Humvee crushed vertebrae, requiring surgeries laced with months of prescription drugs and subsequent withdrawals each time.

Steve needed a change. Leaving the Army, he pursued degrees in both engineering and renewable energy, but the marketplace wasn’t hiring. His family roots were in organic dairy farming. He could feel the land calling him and a search found his current farm, where he was able to take over the lease.

Peacefully Organic Produce was launched with the help of two key people. His partner, Steph Kruegar, a microbiologist who works for the CDC, was the first to say, “Do what you want to do!” and then backed the farm’s first line of credit. Now there’s a partner!

Steve and Steph with the POPs CSA beehives.

The other anchor is his best friend and field manager, Todd Dennis. Todd’s a Navy veteran, having served as a nuclear sub mechanic, with double degrees in engineering. He’s the kind of guy who knows how to get things done with quiet persistence.

Just as important as the food production, for Steve, is to provide a safe haven for other veterans who’ve been in the front lines of the war zone and need a place like the farm to hang out with other vets, do some satisfying work and re-assimilate into a redefined “normal” life.

The Peacefully Organic Produce farm, located outside of Madison on the east-end of the community of Bishop’s Bay sustainable development project, just North of Middleton.

When the team took over the lease on their farm, they had no running water, but legions of weeds. In the last year, they’ve managed to resurrect the 45-member CSA that had been neglected, along with the land. Peacefully Organic Produce (POP) now sells at the V.A. Hospital’s market day, in front of a butcher’s shop, the local baker and delivers shares to a pre-school. (And it’s still year one!)

They were thrilled to get their organic certification recently. An organic farmer makes his investment of time and effort in the soil, which is the nutrient bank for our plants. Like many farmers, however, the elephant in the room is that he doesn’t own the land and has no assurance that he will have continued access long-term to pay back on that investment.

When asked what he really wants to do, he replies that he simply wants to make his living as a farmer, without having insurmountable debt, and to continue offering other veterans a sanctuary. They are hoping to double or even triple the number of CSA shares for next season to meet their goals.

How does he measure success? Every Wednesday, he drops off boxes that feed 40 families. That feels good. Satisfying. Next year, they will have a satellite drop off for new members at the V.A. Hospital, the doctors and nurses. Most of all, success is measured in the healing and team effort of the vets, the sense of community that is growing alongside the greens.

The restorative work that’s being done at Peacefully Organic Produce is similar to other veteran-led farms around the country that are championed in an award-winning documentary film, Ground Operations: Battlefields to Farmfields. A growing network of combat veterans are transitioning into organic farming, sustainable ranching and artisan food production. A national label, Homegrown by Heroes will be rolling out this year.

Steve’s is one of six veteran farms included in the Midwest Film & Farms Tour, and a screening will be held at the Peacefully Organic Produce farm on Friday, July 18. Tickets are $20 (free for farmers and veterans) and can be reserved online. The Madison-area screening is sponsored by the Farley Center for Peace Justice & Sustainability, Applegate Farms, Organic Valley and the Community of Bishop’s Bay.

There will be a panel discussion afterwards with the filmmaker, Dulanie Ellis, and farmer-veteran, Steve Acheson. Come on down and share in farm-fresh food from Underground Food Collective, the inspiring film, farmer-veteran speakers and a dynamic conversation about the Madison food scene.

]]>Drift Catchers – Not Ocean Fish, but Pesticideshttp://groundoperations.net/drift-catchers-not-ocean-fish-but-pesticides/
Tue, 22 Oct 2013 16:00:04 +0000http://www.groundoperations.net/?p=1313The farmer-veterans in “Ground Operations” have chosen to grow organically (whether certified or not) they resist using the chemical approach to farming for several reasons. Many have been exposed to chemicals in the war that have left them with damaging health effects, some just don’t want to support the use of fossil-fuel based inputs that […]

]]>The farmer-veterans in “Ground Operations” have chosen to grow organically (whether certified or not) they resist using the chemical approach to farming for several reasons. Many have been exposed to chemicals in the war that have left them with damaging health effects, some just don’t want to support the use of fossil-fuel based inputs that require us to go to war to get them.

But what do you do when your neighbors are using them? And not just a spray can, but airplanes laying down blankets of mist over acres or miles of crops?

Ask Laura Krouse, an organic grower in Iowa, the ground zero of pesticide use. Why, you get yourself an air monitor from the Pesticide Action Network and become a “citizen scientist.” Iowa has now joined Minnesota, Hawaii and California (and soon, Illinois & Wisconsin) to start monitoring the pesticide drift with a handy little gizmo like a mini-vacuum cleaner. Measurements are taken over intervals for several days after an application, onto little sponges that are frozen and sent back to the lab.

Want to become a Citizen Scientist to quell your fears or because you need some actual proof?

]]>College & G.I. Bill Guide for Veteranshttp://groundoperations.net/college-g-i-bill-guide-for-veterans/
Tue, 15 Oct 2013 16:22:46 +0000http://www.groundoperations.net/?p=1283Shared by a researcher for academic resources (OnlineColleges.net), they have compiled a concise and easy to understand guide about the financial and other resources available to military and veteran personnel. I have included the short section about the Post 9/11 GI Bill here, but there is WAY more available. Two things in the GI […]

]]>Shared by a researcher for academic resources (OnlineColleges.net), they have compiled a concise and easy to understand guide about the financial and other resources available to military and veteran personnel. I have included the short section about the Post 9/11 GI Bill here, but there is WAY more available. Two things in the GI Bill stand out for veterans who want to be farmers: Aid for apprenticeship or on-the-job training and Entrepreneurship training. The link for the whole guide follows the following excerpt:

Post-9/11 GI Bill: This revised version of the GI Bill was implemented to benefit military personnel who served after Sept. 11, 2001. Through the bill, educational and housing support is provided to soldiers who served at least 90 days after Sept. 10, 2001, or who were discharged with a service-related disability 30 days or more after the terrorist attack. The following provisions are included:

Tuition and registration fees for 36 months of higher education, which are generally available to military personnel up to 15 years after release from active duty; tuition rates are capped at the national maximum rate

The Yellow Ribbon Program is in place to provide some support for military personnel who wish to attend private schools, out-of-state schools, or other, more expensive academic programs.

A monthly housing allowance, as well as a one-time ‘rural benefit payment’

An annual stipend for books and course materials

The amount of time served since 9/11 will affect the amount of benefits received by the individual. Benefits will be awarded as follows:

100% – 36 or more total months served since 9/10/2001

100% – 30 or more consecutive days with a disability-related discharge

Recipients must fall into one of five categories related to the duration of their military service and service salary. The “$600 Buy-up Program” allows military personnel to contribute an additional $600 to the GI Bill in exchange for up to $5,400 additional education-related benefits; this contribution must be made while the individual is on active duty,

Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (MGIB-SR): This program is open to any selected reserve personnel in any of the five main branches of the military, as well as the Army National Guard and Air National Guard, who meet the following criteria.

He or she has at least a six-year commitment to the Selected Reserve that was signed after June 30, 1985; officers must have agreed to serve an additional six years. In some cases, a six-year commitment that began since September 30, 1990, is required.

The individual must complete his or her initial active duty for training (IADT) after receiving a high school diploma or equivalency certificate.

He or she must remain in good standing while serving in an active Selected Reserve unit; MGIB – SR is also open to individuals who were discharged from Selected Reserve service due to a disability unrelated to misconduct. The eligibility period may be extended for those who are ordered to active duty.

From Bloomberg’s “The Windsor Star”, by way of the Cornucopia Institute, Promoting Economic Justice for Family Scale Farming, comes this report:

The juice of rotten Chinese apples isn’t something that most North American parents would serve to their children. But if a recent report from the Chinese press is accurate, they may very well have been doing so for years without anyone – including U.S. government inspectors – knowing it.

The news was broken by the independent-minded 21st Century Business Herald, which sent reporters to a region of the country known for its fruit groves and fruit-juice manufacturers. They found three of China’s leading juice manufacturers purchasing rotten apples and pears from farmers unable to sell them for direct human consumption.

Chinese regulators shut down two of the plants, despite failing to find stocks of rotten fruit on the factory premises, and investigations are ongoing. Nonetheless, as Quartz reported last week, two of the plants in question receive significant government export subsidies (and one of the plants supplies 27 per cent of the apple juice that China exports to the U.S. and Canada, annually). Under such circumstances, it’s highly unlikely that China’s regulators will move to harm any reputations.

]]>A Simple Fix for Farminghttp://groundoperations.net/a-simple-fix-for-farming/
Mon, 07 Oct 2013 14:02:25 +0000http://www.groundoperations.net/?p=1243Tired of the same old David & Goliath debate of organic vs. “conventional” food production? What about a simple premise of MUCH less chemical use and the same bottom line? In honor of October as Food Month, I thought I’d share an article Mark Bittman wrote this time last year for the New York Times. […]

]]>Tired of the same old David & Goliath debate of organic vs. “conventional” food production? What about a simple premise of MUCH less chemical use and the same bottom line? In honor of October as Food Month, I thought I’d share an article Mark Bittman wrote this time last year for the New York Times. Read on ….

“It’s becoming clear that we can grow all the food we need, and profitably, with far fewer chemicals. And I’m not talking about imposing some utopian vision of small organic farms on the world. Conventional agriculture can shed much of its chemical use — if it wants to.

This was hammered home once again in what may be the most important agricultural study this year, although it has been largely ignored by the media, two of the leading science journals and even one of the study’s sponsors, the often hapless Department of Agriculture.

The study was done on land owned by Iowa State University called the Marsden Farm. On 22 acres of it, beginning in 2003, researchers set up three plots: one replicated the typical Midwestern cycle of planting corn one year and then soybeans the next, along with its routine mix of chemicals. On another, they planted a three-year cycle that included oats; the third plot added a four-year cycle and alfalfa. The longer rotations also integrated the raising of livestock, whose manure was used as fertilizer.

The results were stunning: The longer rotations produced better yields of both corn and soy, reduced the need for nitrogen fertilizer and herbicides by up to 88 percent, reduced the amounts of toxins in groundwater 200-fold and didn’t reduce profits by a single cent.

In short, there was only upside — and no downside at all — associated with the longer rotations. There was an increase in labor costs, but remember that profits were stable. So this is a matter of paying people for their knowledge and smart work instead of paying chemical companies for poisons. And it’s a high-stakes game; according to the Environmental Protection Agency, about five billion pounds of pesticides are used each year in the United States.

No one expects Iowacorn and soybean farmers to turn this thing around tomorrow, but one might at least hope that the U.S.D.A.would trumpet the outcome. The agency declined to comment when I asked about it. One can guess that perhaps no one at the higher levels even knows about it, or that they’re afraid to tell Monsantoabout agency-supported research that demonstrates a decreased need for chemicals. (A conspiracy theorist might note that the journals Science and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences both turned down the study. It was finally published in PLOS One; I first read about it on the the Union of Concerned Scientists Web site.)

Debates about how we grow food are usually presented in a simplistic, black-and-white way, conventional versus organic. (The spectrum that includes conventional on one end and organic on the other is not unlike the one that opposes the standard American diet with veganism.) In farming, you have loads of chemicals and disastrous environmental impact against an orthodox, even dogmatic method that is difficult to carry out on a large scale.

But seeing organic as the only alternative to industrial agriculture, or veganism as the only alternative to supersize me, is a bit like saying that the only alternative to the ravages of capitalism is Stalinism; there are other ways. And positioning organic as the only alternative allows its opponents to point to its flaws and say, “See? We have to remain with conventional.”

The Marsden Farm study points to a third path. And though critics of this path can be predictably counted on to say it’s moving backward, the increased yields, markedly decreased input of chemicals, reduced energy costs and stable profits tell another story, one of serious progress.

Nor was this a rinky-dink study: the background and scientific rigor of the authors — who represent the U.S.D.A.’s Agricultural Research Service as well as two of the country’s leading agricultural universities — are unimpeachable. When I asked Adam Davis, an author of the study who works for the U.S.D.A., to summarize the findings, he said, “These were simple changes patterned after those used by North American farmers for generations. What we found was that if you don’t hold the natural forces back they are going to work for you.”

THIS means that not only is weed suppression a direct result of systematic and increased crop rotation along with mulching, cultivation and other nonchemical techniques, but that by not poisoning the fields, we make it possible for insects, rodents and other critters to do their part and eat weeds and their seeds. In addition, by growing forage crops for cattle or other ruminants you can raise healthy animals that not only contribute to the health of the fields but provide fertilizer. (The same manure that’s a benefit in a system like this is a pollutant in large-scale, confined animal-rearing operations, where thousands of animals make manure disposal an extreme challenge.)

Perhaps most difficult to quantify is that this kind of farming — more thoughtful and less reflexive — requires more walking of the fields, more observations, more applications of fertilizer and chemicals if, when and where they’re needed, rather than on an all-inclusive schedule. “You substitute producer knowledge for blindly using inputs,” Davis says.

So: combine crop rotation, the re-integration of animals into crop production and intelligent farming, and you can use chemicals (to paraphrase the report’s abstract) to fine-tune rather than drive the system, with no loss in performance and in fact the gain of animal products.

Why wouldn’t a farmer go this route? One answer is that first he or she has to hear about it. Another, says Matt Liebman, one of the authors of the study and an agronomy professor at Iowa State, is that, “There’s no cost assigned to environmental externalities” — the environmental damage done by industrial farming, analogous to the health damage done by the “cheap” standard American diet — “and the profitability of doing things with lots of chemical input isn’t questioned.”

This study not only questions those assumptions, it demonstrates that the chemicals contributing to “environmental externalities” can be drastically reduced at no sacrifice, except to that of the bottom line of chemical companies. That direction is in the interest of most of us — or at least those whose well-being doesn’t rely on that bottom line.

Sadly, it seems there isn’t a government agency up to the task of encouraging things to move that way, even in the face of convincing evidence.”

Correction: October 19, 2012

An earlier version of this column incorrectly listed Nature as one of several scientific journals that had turned down the Marsden Farm study. While Science and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences did not accept it, the study was not submitted to Nature.

]]>Veterans Farming in Washingtonhttp://groundoperations.net/veterans-farming-in-washington/
Sun, 06 Oct 2013 20:56:29 +0000http://www.groundoperations.net/?p=1233We played “connect the dots” this week, for veterans who are or want to be farming in the green, green, green state of Washington. First stop, the Port Townsend Film Festival where Ground Operations scored the award for “Inspiring Community” and learned of a new project, the Peace Patch Farm (PPF). In its infancy, PPF is […]

]]>We played “connect the dots” this week, for veterans who are or want to be farming in the green, green, green state of Washington.

First stop, the Port Townsend Film Festival where Ground Operations scored the award for “Inspiring Community” and learned of a new project, the Peace Patch Farm (PPF). In its infancy, PPF is the dream-child of farm owner, Liz Goldstein, and Vet Connect founder (and master gardener) Bob Logue. It is intended to be an Ag training program for veterans through Washington State University’s Sustainable Agriculture program, which will offer reduced tuition rates. Starting with one veteran, they plan to include 8 vets a year, provide housing and grants willing, a pay stipend to interns. (Contact: liz@teenpeace.org)

Growing Veterans hosted a screening at Western Washington University, in Bellingham. Growing Veterans (http://growingveterans.org) is an organic farm that offers veterans a place to learn hands-on farming and marketing skills while overcoming the isolation that marks so many veterans descent into substance abuse, depression and suicide. It can be difficult for vets to get the support they need to move forward, but working as a unit again with other veterans is an elixir for the spirit. Professor Gigi Berardi opened the evening introducing her project, the Resilience Institute, which received a grant to define and promote small and midsize farm resilience. She calls it a farmers’ support group of sorts. She’s a support to Growing Veterans and other Washington farmers.

We traveled to the town of Bremerton, home to the large Navy base and shipyard … and a glorious restored theater, the Admiral, where movie goers have elegant table & chair settings and a full bar (though we were serving only coffee and locally-bottled sodas like Americana Huckelberry and Cock-n-Bull Ginger Beer, from the Orca Beverage Company.)

Our hostess, Teri Fisher, was a Navy wife for 30 years and recently become a Vet Corp representative. Vet Corps (http://www.dva.wa.gov/vetcorps.html) is a branch of AmeriCorps, and strangely (it seems to me) only exists so far in the state of Washington, catering specifically to helping vets re-integrate into civilian life.

Teri is the newest member of our Ground Ops team. For our screening, she invited her local politicos. County Commissioner Charlotte Garrido is the local hero for sustainable agriculture there — in fact, she even runs a monthly movie night for films about sustainable Ag and had to duck out of her event quickly to make it over to ours! Again, we were benefitting Growing Veterans, who will keep in touch with Comm. Garrido and Vet Corps (thru Teri) for support.

Another woman attending is a veteran, works at the Navy hospital and farms a 160-acre farm. The farm being held in a conservation easement to protect it. She hopes to be able to open it to other vets in the next year or so, when the estate settles. Graduates of Growing Veterans farm training might have a home there — or at the local Veterans Home that also has about 100 acres and a barn that could serve as an incubator farm for beginning producers — and in turn, supply the Veterans Home with delicious, nutritious organic food. Seeds of opportunity are sprouting.

Our final screening event, at the University of Washington in Tacoma, featured a very humorous, articulate and focused young Army veteran (Brian Kerrigan) and his wife, who are starting up a new dairy goat operation. So naturally, we served platters of goat cheese (mixed with herbs, or berries, or pesto & tomatoes) along with local fruit and those delicious sodas (did I mention the ambrosia-like Black Cherry?).

Lo and behold, another Vet Corp rep (a veteran himself) who works at the university, showed up — much to the delight of Teri. They are now connected to work this agricultural angle together, through Vet Corps in neighboring communities.

The star of the evening was Sarah Wilcox, Program Manager for Washington Farmlink, which acts as a matchmaker between people who have farmland and those who are looking for it. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. WA Farmlink is just one program of the Cascade Harvest Coalition (http://cascadeharvest.org) – “Your Local Washington Food & Farming Resource Center.” They’ve got the mother of all lists, news, events & networking. Their goal is to connect food producers directly with consumers, keeping the transparency and resiliency in the local food system diverse and strong.

If I were a vet (or anyone) who fantasized about farming in Washington (and I do!) …. I would start here with the folks at Cascade Harvest Coalition … they have the staff people who can help you look at that dream, explore it piece by piece, and offer services and resources to shape what is right for you.

And for all you foodies who want to know the who, where and how of your Washington food scene… their Food Guide and website are playgrounds of possibilities.

]]>Reversed equation: Farmers to Soldiershttp://groundoperations.net/reversed-equation-farmers-to-soldiers/
Wed, 28 Aug 2013 16:32:22 +0000http://www.groundoperations.net/?p=1177Okay, I knew that about 40% of the military comes from rural farm communities. I assumed a lot of that was because with the mechanized industrial food system, we’ve put a lot of people out of work with our bigger badder machines. And that is probably true. What is creepy is what celebrity-farmer Joel Salatin […]

]]>Okay, I knew that about 40% of the military comes from rural farm communities. I assumed a lot of that was because with the mechanized industrial food system, we’ve put a lot of people out of work with our bigger badder machines. And that is probably true. What is creepy is what celebrity-farmer Joel Salatin recently heard straight from the mouth of our Secretary of Agriculture about why we need so many new farmers:

(paraphrased by Joel) “….although rural America only has 16 percent of the population, it gives 40 percent of the personnel to the military. Say what? You mean when it’s all said and done, at the end of the day, the bottom line–you know all the cliches–the whole reason for increasing farms is to provide cannon fodder for American imperial might. He said rural kids grow up with a sense of wanting to give something back, and if we lose that value system, we’ll lose our military might.

So folks, it all boils down to American military muscle. It’s not about food, healing the land, stewarding precious soil and resources; it’s all about making sure we keep a steady stream of youngsters going into the military. This puts an amazing twist on things. You see, I think we should have many more farmers, and have spent a lifetime trying to encourage, empower, and educate young people to go into farming. It never occurred to me that this agenda was the key to American military power.

Lest I be misread, I am not opposed to defending family. I am not opposed to fighting for sacred causes. I am violently opposed to non-sacred fighting and meddling in foreign countries, and building empires. The Romans already tried that and failed.

But to think that my agenda is key to building the American military–now that’s a cause for pause. I will redouble my efforts to help folks remember why we need more farmers. It’s not to provide cannon fodder for Wall Street imperialistic agendas. It’s to grow food that nourishes, land that’s aesthetically and aromatically sensually romantic, build soil, hydrate raped landscapes, and convert more solar energy into biomass than nature would in a static state.

I can think of many, many righteous and noble reasons to have more farms. Why couldn’t he have mentioned any of these? Any?”

]]>The Food Bill, oops, Farm Bill Needs YOU!http://groundoperations.net/the-food-bill-oops-farm-bill-needs-you/
Fri, 31 May 2013 22:16:46 +0000http://www.groundoperations.net/?p=1000If only we called this the Food Bill, everyone would be paying attention. This only comes up for review every 5 years folks — so if you care about local food, organic food, GMOs, environmental conservation and how to help our veterans become the next generation of farmers and ranchers, get your phone finger poised […]

]]>If only we called this the Food Bill, everyone would be paying attention. This only comes up for review every 5 years folks — so if you care about local food, organic food, GMOs, environmental conservation and how to help our veterans become the next generation of farmers and ranchers, get your phone finger poised to call your Congressional reps.

Feel like you don’t want to say? Here’s the short list from our friends at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (and others), so you can quote chapter and verse:

“Hello, my name is ___ and I’m a constituent and a voter (and tell ‘em if you’re a farmer!). I would like to leave a message for Senator ___’s agriculture staffer. Can you take a message for me, please? The message is: I urge the Senator to support Senator Brown’s local food and market development amendment during floor debate this week. This amendment is critical to building a better future for food and farms in our state. Thank you.”

Time to practice democracy again … if you care about our food. Democracy only happens when folks make their voices heard. And for the cynics out there who think it doesn’t matter, I can’t tell you how well received I was in the halls of Congress when I went with the film in hand to talk about veterans becoming farmers and ranchers. Doors opened wide.